This was a really easy open-faced sandwich that I’ll likely start making somewhat frequently.

Turkey burgers are a great way for the carnivore in this house and the mostly vegetarian (me) to compromise. I do enjoy turkey, especially over the last year or so. It has good flavor, and something about it does not trigger the gag reflex so many vegetarians talk about when they smell raw meats. So, I’ve come to like turkey and I’m trying to find good ways to prepare it.

This was my first try at a turkey burger and it turned out great.

I bought one pound of ground turkey thigh at Whole Foods. I put it in a big bowl and added:

• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 small chopped onion
• some scallions, sliced
• 1 TB Worcestershire
• 1 TB olive oil
• some Urfa pepper flakes from Savory Spice Shop (use red pepper flakes if you don’t have the kind I used)
• a splash of Harry’s Habanero, from the Boulder Hot Sauce Company
• 3 TB of crumbled feta

I put mine on a small ciabatta bun I picked up at Whole Foods, and topped it with some local lettuce from Munson Farms, and a simple mushroom sauté of a medley of little mushrooms I picked up from Hazel Dell that I sauteed in butter, garlic, and sea salt. Those little mushrooms really didn’t need any special treatment since they were so flavorful on their own… but I do apologize for not recalling which shrooms made it into the mix.

In the end, it turned out to be a tasty burger.

Simple ingredients:

• Udi’s Multigrain Bread
• Tillamook White Cheddar… as much as you like
• grated asiago… as much as you like
• grated garlic… might not use as much as you think you might like…
• butter (for the pan, of course)

I grated a clove of garlic on my ginger grater. You might consider using a small clove, or even half of one if you don’t want to wake up the next day with the lingering taste of garlic in your mouth!